Frequently Asked Questions about Medical Cannabis in Washington State
Updated June 5, 2024
Governor Jay Inslee signed HB1453 into law, which is currently slated to go into effect on June 6, 2024. This bill allows a tax exemption for the cannabis excise tax (37%) on DOH-compliant products (NOT ALL CANNABIS PRODUCTS) for patients registered in Washington’s medical cannabis database.
What is Hashtag doing to prepare for this change in medical cannabis?
Our Everett location is already medically endorsed, and we are working to get our Redmond and Seattle locations medically endorsed in summer 2024, so we can begin serving patients at all three locations.
What can Hashtag offer to medical marijuana patients in Washington state?
Our certified medical consultants will be able to handle patient authorization forms and create MMJ cards. Make an appointment at Hashtag Everett today!
All employees at medically endorsed stores can check MMJ cards in the database for validity and complete medical sales with applicable tax exemptions on DOH-certified products.
Will Hashtag serve medical patients under 21?
No, our store policy will remain that we serve people who are 21 and over for both recreational and medical sales.
What are the benefits of being a medical patient and purchasing from a medically endorsed store?
Medical patients can purchase up to three times the recreational legal limit daily.
Medical patients do not pay sales tax on any cannabis products.
After June 6, 2024, medical patients will be able to purchase DOH-compliant products without paying excise tax (37%), for a total reduction of approximately 47% from our standard retail price.
What does it mean for a product to be “DOH compliant”?
Medical-grade cannabis that meets or exceeds the testing requirements for Washington Department of Health (DOH) standards is known as DOH compliant cannabis for general use, high THC compliant use, or high CBD compliant use.
DOH-compliant products have undergone additional testing for pesticide levels, heavy metals, and mycotoxins and are subject to more stringent rules and regulations.
For a cannabis product to earn the DOH-compliant label, it must undergo testing that surpasses the state’s standards for normal recreational products.
How do I identify DOH compliant products?
Look for the logos below for general use, high THC, and high CBD compliant cannabis products that will be sold without excise and sales tax to medical cannabis patients, beginning June 6, 2024.
The state has developed the above three images for companies to place on their packages as a way to indicate their products have been tested to the higher DOH standards and are in fact DOH-compliant. Again, the three logos indicate:
General Use – This is the most common logo you will see and indicates that the product has passed the DOH testing standards, and is available for sale to everyone 21+, regardless of patient status.
High CBD – This logo indicates that the product has passed the DOH testing standards, contains at least 25 times more CBD than THC, and is available for sale to everyone 21+, regardless of patient status.
High THC – This logo indicates that the product has passed the DOH testing standards, is only found on higher potency edibles, and is only available for sale to registered medical patients.
Who can purchase DOH compliant products?
General Use and High-CBD DOH-compliant products may be sold to recreational users, but those products will NOT receive the tax exemption unless they are sold to a registered medical cannabis patient.
Registered patients may buy non DOH-compliant products, but they will NOT receive the 37% excise tax exemption.
High-THC DOH-compliant products may only be sold to registered patients, and these high THC cannabis products will qualify for the excise and sales tax exemptions.
What are the qualifying conditions for medical cannabis authorization in Washington state?
Patients with terminal or debilitating medical conditions may, under their health care practitioner's recommendation, benefit from the medical use of cannabis.
Terminal or debilitating medical condition means a condition severe enough to significantly interfere with the patient's activities of daily living and ability to function, which can be objectively assessed and evaluated and limited to the following:
Cancer, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), multiple sclerosis, epilepsy or other seizure disorder, or spasticity disorders.
Intractable pain, limited for the purpose of this chapter to mean pain unrelieved by standard medical treatments and medications.
Glaucoma, either acute or chronic, limited for the purpose of this chapter to mean increased intraocular pressure unrelieved by standard treatments and medications.
Crohn's disease with debilitating symptoms unrelieved by standard treatments or medications.
Hepatitis C with debilitating nausea or intractable pain unrelieved by standard treatments or medications.
Diseases, including anorexia, which result in nausea, vomiting, wasting, appetite loss, cramping, seizures, muscle spasms, or spasticity, when these symptoms are unrelieved by standard treatments or medications.
Chronic renal failure requiring hemodialysis.
Posttraumatic stress disorder.
Traumatic brain injury.
Humanitarian compassion necessitates that the decision to use cannabis by patients with terminal or debilitating medical conditions is a personal, individual decision, based upon their healthcare practitioner's professional medical judgment and discretion.
Do any mental health conditions qualify for a medical cannabis card?
Due to a lack of scientific evidence supporting improved health outcomes from the use of medical cannabis for mental health conditions such as bipolar disorder, depression and anxiety, the Medical Quality Assurance Commission denied requests to add to the list of qualifying conditions. You may read the commission's and board's decision on the latest petition in the final order (PDF).
How do I get a medical cannabis card?
Once the patient receives a medical cannabis authorization from their health care practitioner, they may contact a medically-endorsed store (PDF), such as Hashtag Everett, and schedule an appointment with a certified consultant who will:
review the authorization for completeness and accuracy;
compare the information to the patient's state identification;
take a photo of the patient's face and designated provider (if any);
enter patient information and upload the photo into the medical cannabis authorization database;
generate, print and laminate the medical cannabis card; and
return the authorization, identification and medical cannabis card to the patient.
Who may authorize a medical card?
By law, the following types of healthcare practitioners licensed in Washington State are allowed to authorize the medical use of cannabis to qualifying patients:
Medical Doctor (MD)
Physician Assistant (PA)
Osteopathic Physician (DO)
Osteopathic Physician Assistant (DOA)
Naturopathic Physician (ND)
Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner (ARNP)
How can I find an authorizer?
Qualifying patients do not need to go to a “cannabis clinic” to get their authorization.
You may discuss the use of cannabis as a form of treatment with your general practitioner or the specialist you see for your qualifying condition.
Who can create a medical marijuana card?
Only a certified medical marijuana consultant at a medically endorsed cannabis dispensary can create a medical card and add you to the state database, for a $1 fee. Hashtag Everett is available and ready to serve you on Wednesdays and Thursdays! Hashtag Seattle and Redmond plan to become medically endorsed as soon as possible.
What can medical cannabis consultants do? Can they give medical advice?
A certified medical cannabis consultant is on staff in every medically endorsed cannabis store. The consultant is not a medical provider and can only:
Enter patient and designated provider information from the authorization form into the database, and create the medical cannabis recognition card.
Assist the patient with selecting products.
Describe risks and benefits of methods for using products.
Provide guidance on ways to properly store products and keep them safe from children and pets.
Provide instruction on proper use of products.
The following is a list of services not allowed by consultants:
May not provide medical advice.
May not diagnose any conditions.
May not recommend changing current treatment(s) in place of cannabis.
May not open and use actual products when demonstrating how to use them.
Is there a recognition card fee?
The cardholder must pay a $1 fee when their card is created. This fee is collected by the medically endorsed store and paid to the Department of Health.
Do you accept medical cards from outside states?
No, medical sales and the tax exemptions on sales and excise taxes are only for patients that we can verify within Washington’s medical cannabis database.
Do I need to get a medical card for every store I visit?
No. Once you are entered into the state database, simply present your medical authorization card at a medically endorsed store, and after June 6, 2024, you will receive an exemption on sales and excise tax when you purchase DOH-compliant products.
Additionally, medical patients pay no sales tax on any cannabis products, regardless of DOH compliance.
Are accessories and/or paraphernalia included in the tax exemptions for medical marijuana card holders?
No, accessories and paraphernalia are not considered “cannabis products” and do not qualify for tax exemptions for medical patients.
How can I learn more about medical cannabis at Hashtag?
Sign up for our newsletter below, where we’ll keep you up to date with everything we know about medical cannabis in Washington state.
You’ll hear first when our Seattle and Redmond stores become medically endorsed, and you’ll learn about which products we carry will qualify for the sales and excise tax exemptions on DOH-compliant cannabis.